A Crime Fiction Blog

Month: March 2016

Except for the odd footprint and the few remnants of Turkish cigarette butts, Agatha Christie rarely gave us a murder mystery that wasn’t driven by the basic human nature of people. She once said, “Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend” which makes me think that criminals do, in fact, exist among us and could potentially be one of us. More than that, a sensationalised crime sparks the curiosity of the general public and soon we’re all hooked to our tellies or furiously scrolling down our screens looking for the latest update on the current case gripping the nation. Human nature, then, has a natural tendency to be fascinated by the macabre.

Agatha Christie was born a Victorian but grew up in a time when women had one foot in a crinoline and the other down a trouser leg. The Great War came and people started toppling off their Victorian pedestals into a steadily germinating modernity. More and more women were learning how to drive, volunteering as aid during the war, running establishments and basically entering what were predominantly patriarchal roles; finally, sexual stereotypes and gender roles were being renegotiated.

All over England there are many festivals and events to celebrate the love for literature and books and as crime fiction lovers we are always looking for an occasion to share the love with other aficionados. One event that we will not miss (and neither should you) is the Deal Noir Crime Fiction Convention 2016, set in the very British sea town of Deal, Kent.

Every one of us, have at least once in our lifetime, found ourselves in a situation where we feel stuck, unhappy and with no escape, even when we actually have nothing to complain about. Imagine, instead, if you had everything and you were living the life that you always dreamt about, and then out of the blue, thunder strikes and your entire existence is shaken.